More than Words
by astrozombie50
Summary: Have you ever felt something so strong for someone you couldn't have? Did you wish you could tell them how you felt even if it meant rejection? What if you had one chance to let them know, would you? Ryan Evans might finally get that chance SlashTroyxRyan
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N:_** _Hey guys, I know I said I wouldn't write anything new, but I couldn't help it. This story is actually a little personal though. I mean I know I may not be the best writer, but I'm putting a lot of emotions that I have into it. It's starting off pretty slow because I'm not sure where I want to go with it. This is where I need opinions. Do you want a happy ending or a sad ending? Like I think I have a general plot idea, but I'm not sure. And incase you were wondering, the story isn't about Ryan's college life, it's more about his loneliness and how's dealing with it. Anyways like I said, it starts off pretty slow, so please bare with me here. And I need to know, do you want a happy or sad story?_

**_Disclaimer:_** _I don't own them. And if I did, pretty much all conservative parents would shoot me._

* * *

_Ryan,_

_I can't believe how fast these four years have gone! It just seems like yesterday we were freshmen! But I'm glad to say it's finally over. Whatever you do in life, I know you'll succeed. Keep in touch man and best of luck to you in the future._

_- Troy Bolton_

Ryan read it over again and again. It brought tears to his eyes. It seems like it was yesterday when they graduated, when in fact it had already been a year after. He remembered how depressed it had made him. Knowing he'd never see Troy ever again. It was hard liking someone who didn't like you back. And the fact that he was already destined to be with someone made it even harder. Gabriella was lucky, she had brains, beauty, and the man of Ryan's dreams.

He couldn't help but wonder if they were still together, that and couldn't help but wonder how everyone else was doing. Taylor and Gabriella had decided to both go to Princeton, Chad stayed home at the local community college, Sharpay and Kelsi had both gotten into NYU, of course Sharpay had made Kelsi here roomate, he never found out what had happened to Troy though, and as for himself, he was enjoying life at UC Santa Barbara. The campus was beautiful and not only that, but it was right on the beach.

Finally putting his yearbook away, Ryan stepped out on the balcony of his small apartment and took in the breeze from the ocean. It calmed him. Letting the pain of the past slowly ease. If there's one thing Ryan regrets, its not having closure in his life. To this day, he still wishes he told Troy how he felt, regardless of whether Gabriella was with him or not. Even if he face rejection, it would have been an end to all of this.

Ryan took another glance at the beach and decided he'd go take a walk on the sand. If there was one thing that would clear his mind, it was walking. It gave him a chance to gather up all his jumbled thoughts and sort them through. He was glad to know he didn't have any classes for the day either. It was a day all to himself, pretty much everyday was like that.

The boy was lonely, I mean of course he'd get a call from his mother every other day or so, but other than that, he didn't really have any friends out here. Maybe a few acquaintances, but that was really it. And he and Sharpay had grown distant over the past year. They were practically on opposite sides of the country. Even though he kept telling himself he hated high school, he really did miss it. If he could do it all over again he would, maybe he'd change a few things, but other than that he really just wanted to have someone. When it all comes down to it, he was just more lonely than he wanted to admit.

Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, he checked the time. 2:37pm. What was he going to do today? He'd finish all his homework the night before and he didn't know anyone well enough to hang out with. Really he was starting to come up with the conclusion that college life was depressing. Going through the numbers in his phone, he decided to call someone he knew would cheer him up.

After a few rings, she finally picked up.

"Hey Ryan. What's up?"

"Nothing much really, just bored. And thinking. A lot." He answered back.

"Well that's never good. You were thinking about him again weren't you?"

"Yeah, I don't know, I mean it just really bums me out you know? All I really want is closure."

"Maybe you should write him a letter explaining how you feel…"

"I thought about that, but there's one problem Martha and it's that I have no idea where he is."

"Well what I meant was, write it back home. Just address it to him, I'm sure he'll get eventually."

"That's not a bad idea actually. Martha you're the best."

"I know, I know. But if you ever decide to switch teams, you know who to call." She laughed.

"Don't worry babe, you're the first on my list. So how's school?" He asked.

"Ugh, stressful as always. You wouldn't happen to know the difference between phenotypes and genotypes would you?"

"No, but I do know that I'm glad I'm not taking whatever the hell your taking."

"Lucky you. Anthropology is so boring. I hate to cut this short Ry, but do you mind if I call you back later tonight?"

"That's fine, but if you don't I'm going to Twin Cities and kick your- hey what's with the laughing in the background?"

"Well apparently Annie, my roommate, was talking to one of her friends online and she showed the guy a map of the United States, which was labeled might I add, and he couldn't seem to find Wisconsin. Then he asked if Minneapolis was a city or a state. "

"You know even though none of that makes sense, I'm sure the guy's reason for not knowing is completely justified. I mean Wisco is like in the middle of nowhere. But I'll let you go now. Don't have too much fun."

"I'll try not to- Annie will you please put it on something good… and something that's not 'The Oc" and what's with the red pants with the dragon on them?- sorry Ry, Anyways, I'll call you later tonight."

Ryan laughed and closed his phone.

He really did wonder about how Troy was doing and where he was. Maybe he should get to writing that letter.

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_  
Dear Troy,_

_I don't even know how to start this letter. Ever since I first laid eyes on you, I thought you were by far the most beautiful creature to walk this Earth. You were always nice to me and even though we weren't the closest of friends, you stood up for me whenever someone put me down for being who I am. I guess what I'm trying to say, is that I love you. I've always loved you and I don't know what your reaction will be. To be honest I'm not even expecting a response from you, I just need to let you know how I feel. I just want closure Troy. Even if it means rejection which I totally understand. I'm sure you and Gabriella are still standing strong. I wish you the best Troy Bolton._

_Love,_

_Ryan Evans_

Ryan felt a little more at ease with the situation. He had Troy's address in his phone, so mailing it out wouldn't be a problem and hopefully he could put this all behind him. After putting the letter in the envelope, he licked it, and threw it in the mailbox.

"Where are you Troy Bolton?" Ryan asked aloud staring up at the night sky.

At that moment, a shooting star came shooting down to Earth, and Ryan made his wish.

* * *

_So there it is. I'm planning to start writing the chapters ahead, but I need everyone's input on it so far. I know it isn't much, but I plan on making chapters longer as soon as I know where I plan to go with it officially. Like it's going to be a romance story and I might add in an oc or two for the heck of it. Just so Ryan won't be so lonely. But yeah please review tell me if there's anything you'd like to see, not see anything!_

_Oh and yes he was talking to Martha Cox. Originally I had it as Kelsi, but I changed my mind because I hardly see Martha Cox in stories. BTW brownie points to anyone who can point out the fanfic author that made a cameo._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Well here's the second chapter. I decided to add in a couple of OC's. Normally I wouldn't do this, but since Ryan's in a new setting, he can't be alone 24/7. Oh and for the rating, I'm not sure when the "M" will come in, but maybe I'll add a love making scene, but it all depends on where I decide to take this. Basically, I write this story, one emotion at a time. So lets hope when I get to the final chapter of this story, I'm happy :o) haha. But yeah, I hope you guys like it, and it's a little bit longer, I think. And just so you know, it takes place a couple of days after the whole note writing thing.**

** Disclaimer: I don't own HSM or any of the characters, I do own Liz, Danny, and Jason, and if Liz found out I said I own her, she'd totally kick my ass. Oh and I don't own Best of Me, Sum 41 owns that. **

* * *

Ryan sat in his psychology class staring at the clock. This was definently his favorite class, but it had a downfall to it. The professor. She happened to have the heaviest accent in the world. And Ryan couldn't tell where she was from. Looking back at his notebook, Ryan started to doodle around instead of taking notes. All he really wanted was for this class to be over so he could go home and eat. Monday's were always favorite day because he only had one class. 

"Do you have a partner?"

Out of nowhere, a girl with black hair came up to him. Ryan looked up at the girl with confusion. What was she talking about? Wasn't the teacher just lecturing? Why would he need a partner? He then looked at the podium and noticed his professor was no longer there, but was now sitting at her desk eating a banana. Looking back up at the girl he nodded.

"Okay, want to work together?" She asked.

"Sure."

The mysterious girl sat in the desk next to Ryan. She put her notebook down and started to write something in it. Ryan was still confused. What the hell was happening?

Ryan stared back at the girl. She was actually really pretty. Her hair just reached her boobs, she had big brown eyes, and a determined look on her face, which was probably from whatever she was writing. And she had the same figure as Gabriella. From the looks of her skin tone, which was almost the same as Troy's except a tad bit lighter, she was probably Mexican.

"You know, it kind of freaks me out when people just stare at me and not say anything." She said not quitting what she was doing."

"Oh.. Sorry about that."

This was awkward. Not only was a total stranger sitting next to Ryan, but he had just been caught staring at her. Now she probably thought he was interested.

"Don't worry about it, at least you weren't drooling, like the last guy I had to work with. Anyways, the name's Elizabeth, but call me Liz."

"I'm Ryan. And-"

"What's with the overly pink shirt? I mean I've heard the statement 'real men wear pink', but dude that shirt is just well, it's pinker than anything I own." She cut him off with attitude in her voice.

It was official. This girl was a bitch. Out of all the people that had wanted to partner up with him, it was the psycho bitch. Get it psychology… bitch.. No? Never mind then. Why had she wanted to pair up with him in the first place?

"Um I'm sorry?" Ryan gave her an irritated look, but it didn't do much because she was still writing in her notebook.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. Anyways, why do you think people tend to be afraid of homosexuals?" She asked finally looking at Ryan.

What the hell? Did his pink shirt make it that obvious? Or could she just read him really well? Well it is psychology, but still. What on Earth brought that question up?

"Uh…first you insult my shirt, then you ask me why people are afraid of gays? What's your problem? Do you not like me or something? I mean kudos to you for figuring me out, but that isn't saying much. Seriously, I didn't do anything to you and you come over here like the bitc-"

"First of all, don't finish what your about to say. Second of all, do you even know what we're doing?"

She looked irritated. It was clear in her facial expression that she's used to being called a bitch, but obviously couldn't stand it. And the vibe she gave off, was kind of like Sharpay's. It kind of made him feel more at home.

She was staring at him intensely waiting for a reply. Ryan just looked at his fingers and mumbled out what sounded like a 'no'.

"Of course you didn't, which explains why you looked like you were off somewhere else during the lecture. We're talking about homosexuality. And well now that you've just admitted your sexuality to me, it might make this partner thing a little bit easier."

"Oh. Sorry. It's just you came off pretty strong. And from your tone, you made it sound like you had an issue with gays so I kind of got offended."

Her irritated look disappeared, and now her face looked a little sympathetic. She turned her look back on her notebook and started to write. Ryan took that moment to take a look around the classroom. The class had about at least 30 people in it, it was a pretty small class size. Everyone had a partner and seemed to be working diligently, or at least that's what they made it look like.

Interrupting Ryan's thoughts, she began, "I wouldn't have an issue with gays, my cousin's gay you know? And he's like my best friend. Along with my boyfriend's best friend."

"I see… wait, your cousin's your boyfriend's best friend? How's that possible? Well I'm guessing he's not the kind to judge. Does he go here?"

Putting her notebook back down, she adjusted herself in the desk and sat facing Ryan. Pulling the elastic band off of her wrist, she put her hair into a ponytail.

She laughed at Ryan's little ramble of questions, "God, it feels like your interrogating me here. Okay, Danny, my boyfriend, met Jason, obviously my cousin, before he knew he was gay. So it never really mattered to him. Plus he's in no place to judge, considering he did like a year in juvie for drugs and whatnot. And neither of them go here, Danny and I share a place an apartment in the Sunnyville Complex down the street from here. As for Jay, well he goes to San Diego State. And just so you know, he's taken buddy."

"Oh.. I wasn't interested or anything, I was just wondering if your boyfriend went here. Hey I live in the same apartment complex as you. I think I might have seen you walking around there before. Is your boyfriend that guy with blonde hair and kind of muscular, and has a tatoo?"

She laughed again, "What are you? Stalking me? Yeah, that's the goofball alright. He's a pretty cool guy though, and he's the type who will always have your back you know?"

Ryan just nodded. He was starting to like Liz, and her boyfriend was actually really hot. Of course Ryan wasn't interested considering he now found out he was straight. And not just that, he had the whole Troy issue to worry about.

Liz started too look a little troubled. It was the look 'like she wanted to ask something, but was afraid she'd offend someone' type of look. She opened her mouth, but then closed it trying to hold back whatever she was going to ask. Ryan just stared at her with curiosity in his eyes. Liz started again and finally let something out.

"Hey, do you mind if I ask you something, I mean you don't have to answer it if you don't want to, but it's something I've noticed about you ever since we've started this class."

"Shoot."

"Why do you always look so sad?"

Then and there, Ryan's demeanor changed. All the thoughts of Troy crashed into his mind. How he didn't really get a chance to say goodbye, or to confess his feelings to the boy. He missed Troy. He missed him a lot. Even though he never got to know Troy as much as he'd liked to, he was still important to him. Ryan knew he'd always liked Troy, but he always assumed it was just infatuation. Or just some silly schoolgirl crush that'd go away. But it never did. And even now, finishing his first year in college, Ryan still felt the same painful feelings for Troy. It was like an open wound waiting to be closed. He just wanted Troy out of his mind. Why couldn't he have told him? Why?

Liz was looking directly at Ryan. And she took notice how his mood changed significantly. She started to think maybe it was better had she not asked. But ever since the first day she walked into this class, Ryan had the same sad look on his face. Like something was missing, or maybe someone. She knew the look well because it was the same look her cousin had kept on for several months until he'd finally confronted his, well his fear.

"I'm sorry." She started. "It's not my business. I have a tendency to stick my nose places where it doesn't belong."

After several seconds, Ryan finally escaped from his thoughts.

"Don't be sorry. You didn't ask anything offensive or anything, it's not a big deal really."

Liz looked back down at her notebook, this time not writing anything. She took in a deep breath and said,

"It's a boy. Isn't it?"

Ryan was surprised. She got it right on the spot. How the hell did she know? Ryan checked his notebook to see if he'd accidently wrote anything about Troy, or anything that made her guess what she did.

"Jason used to have the same look all the time. It was horrible. He was constantly depressed. And not too mention, his good for nothing 'best friend' just left him there. It made me so mad. I seriously was about to go and kick her ass. Luckily though, Danny was constantly by his side, making sure he didn't do anything drastic. Which was part of the main reason why I fell for Danny, he cared for him so much, they're like brothers. It was kind of a tear jerking site to see. But that's not the point."

Doing his best to come up with something to say, Ryan finally managed to let something out.

"It seems like you care for him a lot."

'Of course she cares for him a lot you dimwit, why else would she talk about him like that' Ryan thought to himself.

"Yeah, he's a great guy. He was always there for me. I mean the least I could do is be there for him. But that's not what's important right now. Now about this boy-"

She was cut off by the professor. Apparently class was over. And for once, Ryan wished it was longer. Taking a glance at the clock, Liz closed her notebook and looked at Ryan.

"Hey, why don't you come over to my place later today? I have like two more classes, but if your free tonight, you could drop on by and meet the boyfriend and we can finish this?"

Ryan looked back up at the girl and smiled.

"Sounds great. I'm done for the day anyways, just give me a call when your ready." Ryan replied.

The two both exchanged numbers and were soon on there way out of the classroom. After saying his goodbyes to Liz, Ryan headed towards the beach. He figured he'd just walk on the beach and get home from there. His apartment wasn't too far. He then decided as he hit the sand, he liked Liz. She was the type of girl who had a bitchy exterior, but once you got past that, was a vulnerable girl whose loved ones were her first priority.

Ryan stopped to let the ocean breeze stroke his hair. Inhaling the salty air, Ryan finished his walk home.

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It had only taken Ryan about 15 minutes to get home. He was hungry and he was expecting his mom to call soon. Walking into his kitchen, Ryan opened the refrigerator door and glanced inside. He had quite a selection of food to choose from, but he figured some apple juice and spaghetti-o's would do. There was no food that brought a smile to Ryan's face like spaghetti-o's. They were so simple and tasty. Plus it made Ryan feel like a kid again. After heating up his bowl of 'disgusting in a can' as Sharpay would've called it, he sat down on his couch turned on his t.v, looked for something to watch, and started to eat. Not too long after he finished eating, Ryan drifited off into a light sleep.

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_He was walking the halls of East High. Where was Sharpay? And why were the halls empty? Something definently wasn't right here. Ryan decided to go to his locker, maybe he'd find Sharpay there. He hated walking the halls without his sister, it made him feel like he was missing something, or like he was naked. Reaching his locker, he opened it, only to find nothing but a note in there. Opening up the folded paper, it read,_

_It's your decision Ryan. Either jump, or not. There's only one way to find out._

_Ryan put the paper down. 'What the hell does this mean?' He thought to himself. Turning around, Ryan was confronted with no other than Troy Bolton himself. It didn't take long before he started to get nervous and then nauseous. _

_"Hey Ryan." Troy said smiling._

_Doing his best to let the words come out, Ryan started, _

_"Troy, there's something I need to tell you…"_

_"What is it, you can tell me anything Ry." He had a look of concern on his face. _

_"Troy I lo-" He couldn't speak anymore. His voice just gave out. Ryan kept trying and trying, but no words would escape._

_Troy gave Ryan a confused look and then asked,_

_"Ry, are you okay? I told you, you can tell me anything, I won't judge you."_

_Ryan still kept trying to speak, but his voice wouldn't break free. Troy started to slowly walk backwards. Soon dread filled Ryan. He knew he had to get the words out. It was the only way. But Troy was getting further and further and behind him it was a black void of nothingness. Ryan reached out his arm to grab Troy, but he was already too far. Then Ryan was falling. Falling into an unknown abyss. It felt like he was nowhere and somewhere at the same time, but soon his free fall came to a halt and he was now lying down in the sand. He could hear the waves slowly crashing. Pulling himself up, Ryan saw a guy sitting in the sand not too far away from him. _

_'Who is he, he seems so familiar' Ryan thought as he started walking towards the stranger. He had short brown hair, and big brown eyes and was only wearing a white shirt and beige khaki shorts. The boy who looked to be the same age as Ryan was just staring at the setting sun. Once Ryan finally got near the boy, he sat down next to him and together they just stared at the sunset, letting the breeze stroke Ryan's hair._

_The boy soon broke the silence,_

_"Love is kind of like a pool. You know? You can't really see what's at the bottom of it or how shallow or deep it really is, you just have to take a chance and jump headfirst. It's the only way. Of course you might get hurt, but there will always be a risk with love. But trust me, the risk is always worth it. Even if it may be the most painful jump of all times."_

_Ryan looked at the boy. And tried to process everything he just said. The boy seemed familiar though. Especially his eyes. He'd seen those eyes before. But whose? And that's when it him._

_"Are you Liz's-" _

_But before Ryan could finish, the sunset was disappearing and everything was turning black. And soon the boy was gone. Everything was shaking and he could hear music coming from somewhere. It was getting louder and louder. Ryan then saw someone out in the distance. It was Troy again, except this time he was getting closer and closer. Soon Troy was standing in front of Ryan, singing,_

_"I know that I can't take back all the mistakes but I will try. Although it's not easy I know you believe me. Don't believe their eyes told through jealous eyes they don't understand. I won't break your heart, I won't bring you down. But I will have to say…"_

_But before Troy could finish singing, he started to fade away…_

Opening his eyes slowly, Ryan turned to the tv, which was still on. On the screen was a music video, Sum 41's song Best of Me had made it to his dream. Reaching for his cell phone on the coffee table, Ryan checked the time. 5:23pm. Liz would be calling soon. After seconds of stretching on the couch, he got up and headed to the shower.

* * *

**A/N: Well there you have it. I'm actually looking forward to writing about Liz. She's definantly going to be an interesting part to this little Tryan equation. Oh and just so you know, all the writing in italics, is Ryan dreaming... just incase you didn't figure it out. Hey some people are slower than others. But I'm actually kind of happy with this chapter. And I'm still planning out how Troy's going to turn up. I kind of sorta haven't decided on that yet. But I do have some ideas floating around in my head.**

**What else did I want to say? Oh thanks to everyone whose reviewed so far. And I just wanted to let everyone know, I'm still not entirely sure how I want the outcome of this story to be. Like I kind of want happy, but I want to be realistic about it too you know? But who knows. Aww shit I just realized, I missed that hsm and hsm 2 back to back movie thing today. Crap. I really wanted to watch it, I hate watching a pirated version of hsm 2 on the internet, its all blurry and crap. Dammit!**

**Anyways I'll shut up now and let you go. Any thoughts? Comments or Criticisms? Remember reviews are love!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I just wanted to thank everyone for their sweet reviews. It really means a lot. Now on the the oc's, just so we're clear, Liz and Danny aren't real people. They're based off of some people I know, but they're not real :( Although I'm feeling a little bit better about using them. And who knows maybe Liz and Sharpay might duke it out! Usually I don't have a paticular time span, but the next chapter is going to continue off from the party. Of course this scene though was the first idea I had for this story. Anyways, I'll shut up and let you read.**

**And I really want to apologize for the long update. My goal is to try and update this story every Monday, but I just lost track of time this week.  
**

** Disclaimer: I don't own HSM, but Liz and Danny are mine to mess with yay!**

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Liz's apartment was a lot closer than Ryan had thought. It had only taken him less than five minutes to walk there and now he was ringing the doorbell. He really had no idea why he was feeling nervous either. Liz was a nice girl when she wanted to be, but her boyfriend did look rather intimidating. Hopefully she'd be the one opening the door. Staring back at the door, he noticed it had started to open.

There stood a giant muscular figure that certainly wasn't Liz. Liz's boyfriend? He couldn't tell, he'd only seen him from a distance, but he was cute none the less. Especially with his messy blonde bed hair and his muscular body. The man was hot, to put it simply, but intimidating none the less.

"Hi…is Liz around?" Ryan squeaked trying not to look him into the eyes.

"Oh hey, are you Ryan?" He asked.

Noticing his friendly tone in his voice Ryan looked back up to see him smiling. It kind of shook off the intimidation. Sort of, not really. He could probably punch Ryan all the way back to New Mexico if he wanted.

"Yeah, that's me. Um are you Danny?"

He nodded, "Come on in, the party's just getting started."

Ryan looked up at Danny with confusion well written all over his face.

"Party?"

"What Lizzy didn't tell you? We're having a par-"

"How many times do I have to tell you? Don't call me Lizzy!" Liz came from behind hitting her boyfriend in the arm.

Danny just shrugged and walked back inside leaving Liz and Ryan at the door. Giving him a smile Liz grabbed Ryan's hand and led him in.

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"Wow Ry, that's really sad. The only advice I can give is to just find someone else because I really doubt you'll see him again."

He could start to feel the tears building up in his eyes. She was right. All Ryan was doing was waiting for Troy. He knew it would never happen, but he just waited, day by day. He guessed the only reason he did that was because there was some false hope inside of him. Hoping one day Troy would come and sweep him off his feet. But that wasn't going to happen.

Liz spoke again, "What was his name?"

Ryan looked at her, doing the best to hold back his tears. He really hated talking about this, but letting it out, letting someone know, it just made it so much easier.

"It's not important. Your right, I just need to learn to let it go. And right now, I'm keeping you from your party so lets go out there and have a good time." He said forcing a smile.

Liz nodded. She didn't even realize they were talking for almost over an hour. And she could hear the music getting louder from the other room. Grabbing Ryan's hand, she pulled him out of her room and into the living room which was now filled with a sea of people. She guided him towards the couch where a bunch of her friends sat and introduced him to everyone. And left him there to converse.

Ryan didn't like being left alone in unfamiliar environments. He knew Liz was only trying to help him obtain more of a social life, but right now, he wanted to go in his bed and cry. Of course he had to wear this fake smile. Sitting on the couch, Ryan just zoned out. Not really listening to what anyone was saying, but still hearing bits of the conversation to not look totally dead. Then out of nowhere, Ryan felt a big pat on his back and looked up.

It was Danny. At the beginning of the party he'd gotten to know him a little bit better. Despite his scary intimidating exterior, inside was a sweet guy who really only wanted people to look past the cover of a once troubled boy.

"Beer?" He asked with a smile.

"No thanks, I'm fine."

Beer did not settle with Ryan. It wasn't so much that he couldn't handle alcohol, but he couldn't really handle beer, mainly because of its taste. Of course alcohol wasn't meant to taste good.

"Oh come on, you gotta drink something. You can't keep wearing that fake smile all night, loosen up dude."  
_  
_

_'Fake smile? How the hell did he know?' Ryan thought to himself._

Ryan nodded and headed to the kitchen. Looking at the counter, he noticed the countless bottles of alcohol. He was never any good at mixing drinks, usually Sharpay made him something or someone else did. Gazing at the bottles, Ryan finally decided which one he wanted.

Hypnotic.

The name sounded pretty interesting so why not give it a shot. He grabbed the nearest glass and poured a little bit in. Looking at the liquid, he downed it.

To Ryan's surprise, it actually tasted pretty good. Pouring more into the glass, Ryan started to drink away. It wasn't long before Ryan was in the living room grinding on one of Liz's friends. He loved dancing drunk. No matter how much of an idiot he looked like, he didn't care. Of course he wasn't drunk, just buzzed.

From the other side of the room, Liz and Danny watched the gay boy grind up against the girl.

"Are you sure he's gay?" Danny asked.

"Uh… I thought so…"Liz laughed.

Walking over to her boyfriend, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. Of course being the horn dog that he is, he just let his girlfriend throw herself all over him. Putting his arms around her waist, he broke the kiss and grinned.

"What did I do to deserve this?"

Liz just looked up at him and frowned.

"Baby why don't we ever dance like that?"

Danny just laughed. Liz hated to dance. And to dance in public was like a taboo for her. Despite how pretty she was, she was pretty insecure about herself, especially when it came to dancing.

Liz poked him in the stomach and pouted.

"Baby answer my question."

She only called him baby when she was completely wasted. For some reason, pet names annoyed the crap out of her, especially 'Lizzy.'

"Because, you hate dancing. But I can think of something else we can do that's sort of like dancing… except hotter."

Liz gave him a seductive smile and led him into their room closing and locking the door behind them.

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Finally getting off Liz's friend, Ryan helped himself to the pizza that was sitting on the table. _'Tonight is going to be a fucking goodnight, fuck Troy, fuck closure, fuck it all!' He thought to himself.  
_  
After finishing the slice of pizza, Ryan turned back around to find his dance mate, until he was stopped. Someone was calling his name.

"Holy shit! Ryan Evans is that you?!" A very recognizable voice came from behind Ryan.

He knew he'd heard that voice before and was starting to annoy him because he couldn't point out where. Turning around, Ryan's eyes were met with the one person he wanted to see last. Those deep blue eyes piercing through his soul, shattering whatever mirror of strength left.

_Troy Bolton._

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**A/N: So there it is. I'm sorry for the length, but there's going to be a lot going on in the next Chapter. And there's two ways I can take this story. One, I can kind of make it shorter and you'll get to Troy and Ryan's relationship faster or two I can make it kind of like a cat and mouse game. I plan on doing the second choice because there's more room for conflict and more plot and hopefully it'll be interesting. I plan on including Martha in some more, I just need to find the right time to do it.**

** Oh and look out for my new story. Yes I'm starting a new one. Sadly though, the main character is going to be Gabriella, but there will be a little slash I promise! I should hopefully have that posted sometime this weekish no later than next week.**


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